Talented young batter Yashasvi Jaiswal opened up about being benched by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for a long time in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 campaign. The 20-year-old has played a total of 10 matches in the tournament, including the playoffs as well. With scores of 20, 4, and 1 in his first three matches, Jaiswal was dropped from the playing XI while Devdutt Padikkal was promoted to the top of the order. But he again came for their clash against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) where he smashed swashbuckling innings of 68 off 41 deliveries and ended the season with 258 runs at a strike rate of 132.99 as well.
While talking about that, Jaiswal said in an interview with ESPNCricinfo: “I never doubted myself. I kept believing and trusting that I will do it. That was the best thing. I think I’m very strong mentally. Nobody will believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself.”
The youngster made an impeccable left-right opening pair with Purple Cap winner Jos Buttler. They often helped RR get off to a flying start and set up a platform for the middle order as well. He also revealed how it felt batting alongside Buttler over the course of the tournament.
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Yashasvi Jaiswal said: “It was amazing batting with him. We talk a lot – maybe not in the middle but outside the ground. He just tells me simple and clear things that I need to do. If he says something, I trust him and follow it, and it helps me. I was very happy batting with him. He just says, ‘Play good cricketing shots and I try to follow it.”
However, RR finished runners-up in the tournament after losing to the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. And, the youngster was bought in the IPL 2020 auction for a sum of ₹2.4 crore.
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“I hadn’t played for seven-eight months. I had a shoulder injury. And during the lockdown there wasn’t much practice either. Then suddenly to go in a high-competition game…,” Yashasvi Jaiswal concluded.
